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Building a new deck - ISO advice

denverdog

denverdog

Not now chief, I’m in the F**kin zone.
Joined
Sep 13, 2006
Messages
3,346
We currently have a small deck (200 sq ft) that was made using pressure treated lumber. It is several years old and in general a pain in the ass so I decided it was time to knock it down and expand out to a 400 sq ft space.

Currently I am leaning towards composite decking materials like Geo Deck, Timber Tech, Trex, or Vinyl. I like the low maintenance and longevity that they offer, not to mention the smooth surface is easy on the feet and crawling knees of an infant. Last night I was having a conversation with someone that said composite decking has a tendency to chip and fade and they would go with a nice redwood. Anyone have experience with this and if so what are your thoughts? Wood or composite and if composite which one? Price is not a factor, I just want the best.
 
I think my bro "The Inspector" has a composite deck like your asking about. You can send him a PM if he doesn't respond in here. But I think he really likes it.
 
Had no problem with the Trex chipping / cracking. It did fade a little.
 
For a short time while laid off from aviation, I was employeed by 84 Lumber Company. While there, I grew fond of ChoiceDek by Weyerhaeuser. If you are unfamiliar with Weyerhaeuser, they are a key manufacturer of structural components in the building industry, including I joist, flooring, and lvl's. That being said, they know a little something about engineered lumber. ChoiceDek can be found most notably at Lowes. If you look up their website, you can order a free sample. They come in 4 different colors and are reversable so that you can have "clear" or "wood grain" in which you run the boards oppisite each other to give the contrast and the true lumber look.

I would go with the engineered decking if it were myself. Redwood is nice, but you will pay just as much as if you purchased the composite, but will end up replacing it in the future as opposed to the composite.
 
I built a composite deck for my parent's about 5 years ago. I do not like this material. The boards tend to warp more than average wood, so if you plan on using any composite material I suggest you hand pick and inspect which boards you use and not wait for them to deliver whatever crap stock they have lying around. After about two years it began to fade unevenly I might add because of an overhang. They had to use a pressure washer 3 times a year just to clean this weird mold that just loved growing on it. Oh yeah, don't plan on putting any plants on the deck. I found that because the deck fades anything left out of the sun leaves a shadow on the boards. :( Don't spill anything on it that can't be cleaned up in a few minutes, it will stain.

To sum up, I hate the stuff. :angry: I would recommend a nice redwood or a cedar if money were no option. YMMV.
 
A good quality composite decking will not do any bad things mentioned above. Trex for example is quality, and I think the best on the market. The whole point of composite decking is that it won't warp, it won't splinter, and it won't be as slippery as wood or plastic alone. Trex decking and most likely every other composite will fade slightly. But that is a fact of life with that stuff, and a decent dealer will have examples on hand of what color it will eventually fade to. That's the nice thing about trex, it fades to a point, then it's done, so you can see what color it will finally be, and it only takes a season to reach that final color.
 
We have a Trex deck and it was one of the selling points of our new home. No chips, cracks, splintering, etc. and they look great. They do tend to fade a bit over time but I think this can be avoided (somewhat) by powerwashing every once in awhile. I highly recommend Trex decks - we love ours and have received many complements on it.
 
The composite material your looking at tends to be a little bit easier to deal with in regards to deck maintenance.

It doesn't fade the way wood, either good wood like redwood, or pressure treated lumber, and everything in between. If you go with real wood, you still run the risk of splintering and chipping if its not very carefully maintained, and the added maintenance of preservative treatment, either through a clear deck seal up to a solid color stain, all of which have to be done every several years (depending on the grade of sealer/stain you use), and as far as I understand, composite decks don't have that same type maintenance requirements.
 
Unless you really don't like what you have rent an industrial sander and refinish it. A good wood deck should last 30 years with ground contact and more without. Nothing is maintenance free so if you don't like to do it then pay somebody or forgo having it
 
I added a composite deck to our new home about 2 years ago. For me, it was an easy choice. The lack of maintenance, the lack of warping and the feel of the "boards" underfoot are great. Any of the newer brands of composite should be fine as most of the bugs have been worked out over the past few years. I'd recommend looking around at what's available to see what you like and doing a little research on the web.

I do have wooden rails, though. I've stained/sealed them each of the last two summers but they still show signs of wear, whereas the composite flooring does not. If I had to do it again, I'd go with composite railing also. It costs a bit more, but the savings over time should be worth it, IMO.
 
Just like Steve, I added a composite deck about 2 years ago. So far, so good!
I used Veranda, which is the brand Home Depot carries.

:thumbs:
 
Timber Tech is what I have and it works nice, no maint. essentially and fades less than most brands like trek.....however, not sure it is worth the money in the short run.....i miss the real wood feel....however in the long run may well be worth it since I have yet had to put an ounce of work into it
 
Thanks for the input guys. The wife and I actually visited a couple of places over the weekend to compare different materials. Seems like the composite decking has come a long way although it still has a few flaws - fading, staining, and scratching. All things considered we are leaning towards it versus wood but will come to a final decision after we visit one more local deck superstore this week. My main concern is the staining as I have been told that even leaving a potted plant for an extended period of time can leave a permanent mark. Any of you composite guys have any input on how to avoid and or deal with this issue?
 
Come over and see my Ipe' deck. Lots of hard work to install, but I get the beauty of real wood and a 100 year lifetime with minimal upkeep. I have a redwood pergola over it so you can see the difference in weathering of the two with the same elements and age.

I shied away from trex over concerns about it's ability to hold heat, and potentially get too hot to walk on barefoot. Plus, I don't like the way it looks after it greys out.
 
denverdog said:
Thanks for the input guys. The wife and I actually visited a couple of places over the weekend to compare different materials. Seems like the composite decking has come a long way although it still has a few flaws - fading, staining, and scratching. All things considered we are leaning towards it versus wood but will come to a final decision after we visit one more local deck superstore this week. My main concern is the staining as I have been told that even leaving a potted plant for an extended period of time can leave a permanent mark. Any of you composite guys have any input on how to avoid and or deal with this issue?
Click to expand...

Not sure how do avoid beside don't move your plants :)

Most composite do have a cleaning solution so I hear and supposedly are decent.....if you can afford brazilian hardwood, IPE i think, I heard its as good as it gets
 
The Inspector said:
denverdog said:
Thanks for the input guys. The wife and I actually visited a couple of places over the weekend to compare different materials. Seems like the composite decking has come a long way although it still has a few flaws - fading, staining, and scratching. All things considered we are leaning towards it versus wood but will come to a final decision after we visit one more local deck superstore this week. My main concern is the staining as I have been told that even leaving a potted plant for an extended period of time can leave a permanent mark. Any of you composite guys have any input on how to avoid and or deal with this issue?
Click to expand...

Not sure how do avoid beside don't move your plants :)

Most composite do have a cleaning solution so I hear and supposedly are decent.....if you can afford brazilian hardwood, IPE i think, I heard its as good as it gets
Click to expand...


IPE is also known as "iron wood" very dense hard wood which is beautiful when oiled down. It is dark mohogany in color when treatd and needs to be maintained annually if you want that dark color. It will "gray" if you don't treat it but will come back to that color when oiled. Again, the wood is VERY dense...It's almost like it's petrified. It's very heavy.

I used this same material on my 900 sq.ft. deck. It's also very durable in wet weather. Go to a lumber yard and look into it. The pricing is comparable to trex or other composite materials.

I have some pic somewhere ....I'll try to post them
 
IPE is gorgeous and if we planned to live here more then a few years, or if I were the boss I would definately go with it. Unfortunately at this point the wife wants the set it and forget it so she is leaning towards the ChoiceDek. Tonight I started disassembling and unscrewing the old deck and this weekend I will lay the extra joists needed as the current centers are 32 inches. I was worried about heat with the composite, but the backyard is east facing and out of direct sunlight by early afternoon. I will post some pictures of the progress (or lack thereof) soon.
 
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